Gyanesh Kumar appointed India’s new Chief Election Commissioner as Rajiv Kumar’s tenure ends

Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Monday, succeeding Rajiv Kumar, whose tenure ends on February 18. Kumar is the senior of the two election commissioners after the outgoing CEC Rajiv Kumar.

Besides, Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as an election commissioner.

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The announcement was made shortly after a meeting of the committee comprising PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, where the Congress leader had given a note of dissent.

Earlier, the Congress had urged the government to defer the appointment of the new CEC till the Supreme Court concludes its hearing on a petition challenging the composition of the selection panel.

A former IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, Kumar was selected by a panel comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Before his appointment, Kumar held the position of secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. His tenure as the country’s top election official comes at a crucial time, with key state and national elections ahead.

As the next CEC, Kumar would be in charge of elections in four states—Opposition-ruled Bengal and Tamil Nadu and BJP-ruled Bihar and Assam. The election in Bihar is due later this year, while the rest are due in 2026.

Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre, was part of the Union Home Ministry and helped draft the bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

(With inputs from agencies)